


torn.

by ode_to_phan



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Snape is a Pedophile, ron weasley kinda turns into a jerk, tiiiiny bit of suicide mention, you are a Slytherin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 23:44:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17693432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ode_to_phan/pseuds/ode_to_phan
Summary: ron weasley x readerdraco malfoy x reader





	torn.

**Author's Note:**

> hi i wrote this a really long time ago and forgot it until now so i hope you enjoy

You're wandering through Diagon Alley, burdened with your supplies for your fourth year at Hogwarts. There's a huge crowd today because there's a sale at Flourish and Blotts. You're being violently bumped this way and that as you're trying to get through the door. A tall, red-haired boy bumps into you, knocking you into the doorframe, causing your shoulder to slam into a sharp piece of metal. He gently grabs your arm to make sure you're not hurt. “Blimey, are you okay?" You pull a fake nod and he leads you to a less-crowded place. He can tell you're lying. “Hey, so t-to tell you the truth, my shoulder feels like it's bleeding,” you say, checking under your shirt sleeve. It's bleeding all right. “I'm sorry,” the boy says, meaning it. You wipe all the blood and (checking for anybody from the Ministry) perform a healing charm. "You know what, it's fine. Who are you, anyway?" You look up to look him in the eyes and he looks stunned for a moment. "My name is Ron. Ron Weasley. What's your name?" You pause, taking note of his name. "[Y/N]. What house are you in? I'm a Slytherin." “Gryffindor. You… You're not like the Malfoys, right?" He looks like he's pleading that you're not. "No. I don't like them. Or Professor Snape." Ron sighs, relieved. “Why is it that you don’t like them?,” he asks, leaning a little closer and lowering his voice. “Well, for starters, Draco is a prat. He’s full of himself and he’s a coward. Lucius and Narcissa are just bloody gits,” you say, your eyes darting around the little shop for any sign of them. Ron laughs at your comments about the Malfoys. “What about Snape?” You laugh as you say, “Does ANYBODY like Snape?!” “I suppose not. What books are you needing?,” he asks politely. You get your supply list out of your bag and read off a few. “Intermediate Transfiguration, The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 4), Rune Dictionary…” He stops you there and takes you to the right shelf.

You examine the shelf and see Intermediate Transfiguration just out of your reach. “Hey, Ron, I can’t reach this book. Could you get it for me?” He reaches up and grabs it and, when he hands it to you, your fingers brush his, causing you to blush. “Th-thank you,” you say, failing to meet his eyes. “Anytime.” You let your cheeks go back to their normal color before speaking again. “So do you have all your books?” He flushes, saying, “Yeah. I’m using my brother’s old books. I’m just here to see if there’s anything interesting.” You pause in thought. “I mean, there are some books on Vol-... You-Know-Who, and some about Quidditch.” He nods, saying, “Yeah, Lee Jordan gave some to my brothers at the end of last term.” There’s a bit of an awkward silence between the two of you. You remember something about Ron from first year. “Wait a minute, you’re the boy who almost died using McGonagall’s giant chess set in first year, aren’t you?” He nods awkwardly. “You remember that?” “Yup. I remember Draco pouting for quite a while after Dumbledore gave your house a lot of points,” you say with a humorous tone. “I bet he did, the bloody prating fool,” Ron says quietly. The two of you burst out laughing.

After checking out your books, you decide to bid goodbye to him and get home. “Well, I guess I'll see you soon! King's Cross Station?” He pauses awkwardly and says "Sure, we can meet. I'd like that." You smile at him and say, “Bye, Ron," quietly before leaving. As you're walking, you're on cloud nine. ‘He was so nice and he's cute, and…. Oh, I probably don't have a chance,’ you think to yourself on the taxi home. It's a muggle taxi, not near as fun as the knight bus.

**Time skip to September 1**

You get to King's Cross Station at about 10:30, lugging your [pet]'s cage and your trunk. Once you cross over to Platform 9¾, you look around before sighing and boarding the Hogwarts Express. You see no sign of Ron, so you head to an empty train compartment. After about five minutes, there's a soft knock next to the door. “Blimey, [Y/N], lucky I found you!" Ron says as he comes in. “Can my friends and I sit in here?” You blush and say "Of course you can, come on!” The three of them come in and Ron sits next to you. He hastily introduces you to the other two. "[Y/N], this is Harry,” he says, motioning to Harry Potter, “And this is Hermione," he says, motioning to the other girl in the compartment. “H-hi," you say awkwardly. They return your greeting and, because you're not wearing your robes yet, Harry asks what house you're in. “I'm in Slytherin, but I don't like Snape…. Or Draco Malfoy… that bloody git,” you explain.

A few hours later, the four of you put on your robes. All of a sudden, Draco comes to your compartment. “[Y/N]? What are you doing, hanging with a Mudblood and… a WEASLEY?! And what's worse, you're even hanging out with the ringleader of their freakshow!” You stare at him icily. "Draco… Go. Away. Don't call Hermione a mudblood… and the Weasleys aren't bad. Just because they don't have everything doesn't mean they're bad!” You pause, then add quietly, "And I know you're just jealous of Harry, so, please, leave.” He smirks and says “How DARE you try to stand up to ME?! You're a Slytherin. This is no way to treat a fellow Slytherin.” You notice that Crabbe and Goyle are nowhere to be found. "Malfoy, where are your friends? Oh wait, you have none! Crabbe and Goyle are more like servants." He pauses and opens his mouth to say something but closes it and finally leaves. “Thank you," Hermione says, “for telling him to stop calling me a mudblood." "Anytime,” you say, smiling. Ron nonchalantly moves closer to you and, when you notice, he smirks cutely. “Hey, we have like three hours left on this train and I'm tired, so, I'm going to sleep, okay?,” you say awkwardly. “Yeah, we'll be quiet,” Harry says. “Y-you can sleep on my shoulder if you want, [Y/N],” Ron says rather awkwardly. You gratefully accept his offer and wrap your arms around him. After a few minutes of faking it, you fall asleep.

“[Y/N]? We're here," Ron says, waking you up. You open your eyes and look into his blue eyes. “R-really?," you ask, yawning cutely. “Yup." You get off of him and clumsily stand up. The train lurches, causing you to fall, but, luckily, Ron gets up and catches you. “Good catch, Ron,” Harry says, laughing. The four of you get off the train and start heading to Hogwarts, where you have to separate from your new friends. You don't see Ron again until Transfiguration the next day. 

During Transfiguration, Ron sits with you. While you're supposed to be working on turning a cat into a box, you talk to him. He quickly brings up a subject. “So, really, why do you hate Draco? He seems to know you pretty well,” he asks, whispering. You take a deep breath and lower your voice, knowing that Draco is a few rows behind you. "Well, in third year I dated him. It was a huge mistake. He was abusive, mentally and physically. I remember one time over the Christmas holidays we were out in public and he, well, tried to kiss me. I told him I didn't want to kiss him there so he hit me with an unforgivable curse,” you shudder, "the cruciatus curse.” He gasps before saying “Wait, he could've been locked up in Azkaban for that!” "No. Lucius wouldn't let them do anything to him. My parents never found out, either. Draco wouldn't let me tell them anything.” Ron looks at you sympathetically. "But… he can't control you," he says. “Well, actually, he kind of did, using sectumsempra on me every time I did something HE didn't want me to do as long as my parents weren't around.” You pause. “There was also the full body-bind curse when I tried to get away from him.” Ron looks at you, saying, "God, [Y/N], I'm so sorry… When did you two break up?" You pause in thought. “About a week after we got back from the Christmas holidays. He came to me in Hogsmeade and called me a little… not gonna say it… and told me he found someone else. He could tell that the breakup didn't hurt so he pushed me against a wall and punched me in the face, hard. It almost broke my nose. Good thing Madam Pomfrey was in the hospital wing.” Ron is livid. “I'll kill him. He can't do things like this. I will kill him, [Y/N], just because he did this to you.” "No. All that will happen is you'll get in huge trouble. Besides, he's just a fool,” you say intensely.

Professor McGonagall comes behind the two of you and sentences you both to detention that night. You're at least glad that Ron will be with you. As you're walking out of class, Draco stops you by grabbing your arm. Ron steps behind you, defensively. “I see that you got detention?" “Yes,” you say, pursing your lips and trying to go past him. “Oh, honey, there's no getting past me this time." “Don't call me 'honey’. And I don't want to be late for class, so move.” Ron pipes up. "Yeah, screw off, Malfoy.” Draco grabs you like he's about to hurt you. He pushes Ron away and raises his fist, pressing you against a wall. “No..." you say. He slams his fist into your face twice, making you bleed and breaking your nose. He throws you down onto the ground and rushes to his next class. None of the bystanders or professors care. Ron picks you up, examining your face. “Bloody hell, [Y/N], that looks awful! I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey.” You can't speak to decline him so he takes you to the hospital wing. Pomfrey mends your nose and sends you off to class. 

That night, you and Ron go to Hagrid's hut for detention. “Alright, you two'll be in the forbidden forest. There's an injured hippogriff there and yeh'll have to find it. Ron, stay with [Y/N], keep her safe.” Hagrid pauses for a minute, then adds, “And don't get lost. I'm leaving you two on yer own, so if yeh get lost, or hurt, don't be too proud ter send up some red sparks. Send up green sparks when you find the hippogriff.” You agree to these terms and head off to the forbidden forest, Ron leading the way. As soon as you two get into the forest, you get scared. “Lumos," you say quietly, lighting up your wand. You're shaking nervously, hoping he won't see you. You hear something snap a bit ahead of you and you gasp. “R-Ron… what was that?,” You ask as you hear it again. You can't see anything up ahead either. You grab his arm. “S-Sorry..." you say awkwardly. “No, it's fine." 

You hear another snap, closer this time. It could only come from… a human?! Out of the shadows comes Draco. “Funny. I thought I’d find you here,” he says, smirking. You take a long, slow breath and say “Draco… Please, leave me alone. What are you doing out here, anyway?” He laughs. “Just taking a little stroll, that’s all.” He sees that you’re holding onto Ron’s arm. “Oh, you’ve got yourself a new boyfriend, haven’t you?” “No, Draco, he’s not my boyfriend. Why do you care anyway? You claimed to hate me before. And will you please get out of my business? Leave. Me. ALONE!” Ron backs you up, saying, “Yeah, Draco, this isn’t cool. Leave her alone. You’ve caused her enough trouble.” Draco bursts out laughing. “No. I won’t leave her alone. You can’t make me!” You sigh. “Draco, I hate to do this, but if I have to, I will send up red sparks so somebody will find you,” you start, then say “you bloody git,” under your breath. You get out your wand but as soon as he sees it, he uses expelliarmus to take it. “You can’t do this to me, [Y/N], y-you can’t!” “Give her back her wand, Malfoy, I’m warning you,” Ron says. Draco hands over your wand. “Listen, just don’t send up the sparks!” You roll your eyes, saying, “Fine. But please go away. Besides, if I do send up the sparks and you get expelled, at least it wouldn’t be as bad as… what you did to me last year.” He just stands there blankly. When you and Ron walk away, he follows.

By the time Draco speaks again, you and Ron have almost found the hippogriff. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Pfft, you’re apologizing now? Shut up. I know you don’t mean it.” He grabs you, jerking you away from Ron. “I want you back,” he says as he grabs both of your arms, forcing you to face him. You laugh. “Wow. Back for round two? Not gonna happen. Today you BROKE MY NOSE. I am NOT going to get back with you, Draco! All you want me for is to practice your curses and to use me as a punching bag.” Ron is now trying to get Draco, who has a firm hold on your arms, off of you. Draco pushes him away and pulls you closer. “Ugh, get off! What do you think you’re doing?!” You try to get away but he won’t let you. “Ron… help…” He gets out his wand but Draco stops him. “Petrificus Totalus!" "NOOOO!,” you scream. But it's too late. Draco takes your wand before you can do anything and slams his lips on yours.

With a sudden burst of strength, you push him away. Grabbing your wand, you mutter a countercurse for Ron, finally freeing him. “DRACO, WHAT THE FRICK?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!,” you yell, pointing your wand at him. “Don’t make me hurt you,” you say quietly, your voice shaky. He backs up, saying “No. [Y/N], don’t do it, I know you don’t want to do this…” Ron gets out his wand as well, pointing it at Draco. “Don’t come near her, Malfoy,” he says. Draco just lightly shakes his head. “Put your wands in your pockets." Ron steps closer to him. "How do we know you're not going to hurt us? Or, more importantly, how do we know you're not going to hurt [Y/N]?” "Here,” Draco says as he hands over his wand. Ron takes it and puts it on the ground then steps in front of you protectively. 

Draco gets Ron to move and starts speaking. “[Y/N], I'm sorry about everything. Today, in third year, all of it. Listen, I know you don't believe me, but I only hurt you because,” he shudders, “I had to." You huff, saying, "No, you didn't. You just liked to hurt me. What kind of person would have to use sectumsempra on their girlfriend?! What kind of bloody git would do that?! Why did you hit me so many times? Why, Draco, WHY did you have to decimate me?!” “Listen, this probably sounds far-fetched, but,” he lowers his voice to a whisper, “Voldemort made me do it." You laugh at him, meeting his eyes. “That's a real load of bullcrap, Draco. I don't believe that for a minute.” He glares at you. "I'm being serious, [Y/N]. My parents work for him and he TOLD me to hurt you. I never wanted to.” You think for a moment, temporarily forgetting about Ron. “Well, I mean, there was something in your eyes that told me that it was kinda fake…. But why did you break up with me, calling me… that name… and punching me? Why did you punch me today?” He takes a deep breath and starts to explain. “I… I couldn't stand to hurt you anymore… I was protecting you. I had to hit you when I did it so it would satisfy him. It hurt me, you know, to do it, and he put me through intense pain, what with all the curses and everything… and I punched you today because, although I got out of his clutches, he still put me under the imperius curse and made me do it. Normally I can get out of that curse, but I couldn't this time.” 

You don't say anything, then Ron whispers in your ear, startling you. “He could be faking it," he says. You don't answer him. A single tear rolls down your cheek. All of a sudden, Ron spots the hippogriff you two came after. “I'll see you in the common room, [Y/N]," Draco says before running off. You and Ron both send up green sparks and Hagrid comes and picks up the hippogriff. He sees that you're upset. “[Y/N], why're yeh crying?" “I… I don't like to see animals hurt, that's all,” you say awkwardly. Hagrid dismisses you two, saying that he'll see you later. Ron leads you to the castle, talking to you about random things. 

After what feels like hours of walking, you get to the common room to see Draco. You go towards him. “Hi..." He looks up at you. "Hey.” You don't answer for a minute. You sit on the couch he's sitting on but make sure there's a whole cushion length between you. “I… I think I believe your apology,” you finally say. "Really?” You nod, saying "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I'm going to get back with you.” “I can understand, [Y/N]," he says quietly, looking down at the floor. “I'm sorry, Draco, I just don't want... I don't want hurt again,” you say, your voice faltering. You look at him apologetically. “I'm going to bed… goodnight,” you say before finally rushing to your dormitory.

**Time Skip to Morning**

You're going to the Great Hall for breakfast and you see Ron headed to the Gryffindor table. You rush over to him and awkwardly say “Hi, good morning," then after a few minutes of talking you go to the Slytherin table. Draco looks at you, hoping you'll sit with him. You give him a sideways glance then go all the way to the end of the table, probably twenty seats away from him. You're not quite ready to become friends again. 

During Transfiguration, you keep your mouth shut, not wanting to get detention again. Ron passes you a note that says “hey, you're not by any chance dating Draco again, are you?” You get out your quill and write "nope. why?" His face goes red and he writes “hm… do you want to, you know, date me?" “well, let's see… what do you think I'm going to say?" He looks at you, scared of your reaction. "I don't know.” "Well, I'm going to say…. YES!" He beams at you and writes “awesome!!” You two continue to pass notes and, before you know it, class is over and you see Draco in the hall.

“[Y/N]," he says. “Draco." “How are you?" You pause. “Fine. You?" “Doing good, I guess." “That's good. I'm going to class now,” you say as you rush to your next class, Ancient Runes. His next class is all the way across the school. 'What will he do if he finds out I'm dating Ron now?,’ you think to yourself on the way there. Throughout the rest of the day, you can't concentrate. The trip to Hogsmeade is tomorrow, and you're really excited. 

That night at dinner, you beat Draco to the table. He sees you and takes a seat next to you. You two talk a little bit throughout the meal then after you're dismissed you catch Ron in the hall. He hugs you before you have to leave to go to the dungeon, where your common room is. He heads to his common room after watching you walk away for a few seconds. Once you get to the common room, you sit down on the couch, not seeing Draco. After a minute, he comes in but you pretend that you don't see him and go to your dorm. You end up falling asleep early, which is good, because you need rest for Hogsmeade.

The next morning, you meet up with Ron so you can stay with him. You don't notice him, but Draco is lurking close behind you. Harry says “Hey, [Y/N], haven't heard much from you!" You smile and say "Yep, that's what sucks about being in different houses." You all laugh and Hermione says "So, last we heard, Ron asked you out yesterday and you said yes!" You nod and your face goes blood red. Draco hears her and pushes past Ron, going away from all of you. “Oh… I think he heard…” You look at Ron and say “What if he hates you more now? Don't let him hurt you…” “[Y/N], he won't hurt me. Or any of us. Especially not you. If he hurts you just tell me,” Ron says, looking into your [e/c] eyes. “I mean, you heard his apology…” The four of you head to Hogsmeade.

In Honeydukes, Harry buys what looks like 75 galleons worth of candy. You're too busy laughing at him to notice Draco in the store. As you and Ron start out, Draco gives you a look that clearly says ‘why… why don't you want me?’ You look at him and walk away. Ron buys you a warm butterbeer, despite you telling him not to. You hang out with him all day and by the time you get back to the Slytherin common room, you're physically drained. You're reading a book when Draco comes in.

“[Y/N], you could've told me!" You look at him and simply say "Sorry.” He huffs. "What… what does he have that I don't?” "Listen, Draco, I already told you that I don't want hurt again. I understand that you're sorry, but… I love Ron. Okay?!” You get up and start to walk away. He speaks up. “[Y/N]." You turn around, saying “What?" “I'm sorry for snapping at you a minute ago… I'm just… jealous.” "It's fine.” You walk off, your mind racing. When you get to your bed, you open your book to the page you were on before Draco interrupted you. The book is suddenly very boring. You sigh and lay down, looking at the ceiling. 'How do I know if he's really telling the truth? I'm so scared that he's going to hurt Ron… I don't care if he hurts me anymore. It won't matter, anyway,’ you think to yourself. 

That night is completely sleepless. All you can think about is Draco. You’re terrified that he’ll try to fight Ron. The next morning, all seems well. Ron greets you and makes sure Draco didn’t hurt you, then he goes to his table. Draco doesn’t talk to you for a while. After breakfast, you (somewhat blindly) walk through the hall. When you finally get to class, you sit down and immediately pull out a quill. Getting out two small pieces of parchment, you write “I’m sorry,” and roll them up, putting them into your pocket. ‘Now to wait until Transfiguration to give this to both of them…’ 

About an hour later, you get to Transfiguration. “[Y/N]!,” Ron says as soon as he sees you. “Hey,” you say distantly. “What’s wrong?” You sigh and get out one of the pieces of parchment. “Here,” you say, handing it to him. He reads it and looks at you with concern in his eyes. “What are you sorry for, babe?” You look at him then look away. “You’ll find out.” The realization hits him. He realizes that it’s a suicide note. “No… Don’t kill yourself… Please, [Y/N], don’t. Is this because of Draco?” You shake your head. There’s a Quidditch game tonight. “I’m not going to be at the game tonight.” “[Y/N]. You don’t have to do this.” “I do.” You start working on your assignment. Ron reaches over and grabs your hand. “I love you,” he whispers. “I love you too, Ron, I really do. That’s why this is really hard to do,” you say in return. “Please don’t do it…” You turn away from him. You don’t talk to him anymore throughout the rest of class. Draco doesn’t talk to you in the hall.

That night, you decide to go to the Quidditch game. Ron sees you and breathes a huge sigh of relief. Draco is on the Quidditch team, so you don't have to worry about him bothering you. You look at the pitch at just the right moment so you can watch the teams kick off from the ground. Harry smiles at you. You point to the snitch and he zooms toward it. Draco follows him, trying to get a lead. All of a sudden, just as you blink… HE CATCHES THE SNITCH! Slytherin wins! There's a huge uproar from your section, filling you with a sense of joy. In that moment you decide not to kill yourself. Going to the castle, you pick Ron out of the crowd and grab him. “I'm not going to kill myself," you say. He looks at you with a look of intense happiness. "Really? Good! I was so worried," he says, relieved. “I decided it wasn't worth it… and I realized it would hurt you…” He hugs you and kisses your cheek, causing your face to erupt in flames. “I love you so much," you say, kissing him. There's nobody around but the Gryffindor team is about to come through to get back to their dorm. The two of you walk to the castle slowly to spend as much time together as possible. He walks you to the entrance to the dungeon then kisses you before leaving.

You enter the common room to see a party going on. You see Draco and go to him. “Great job! I can't believe we won!" He smirks, saying "I can.” You're blushing really hard and he notices. “I see that you were a little late, I'm guessing you were with Weasley?" You nod silently. "And why is your face so red?” "And why do you want to know?” He looks shocked at your comeback. “I don't know. I mean, I was only playfully teasing you!” You laugh, saying, “Oh, Draco, you know I blush easily.” “Yeah," he says with a sigh, “I know." You talk to him for a while then decide that you want to try and be his friend. “Draco." “Yeah?" “Would you consider us… friends?” He pauses, looking at you. “Well, I've been hoping we could be friends.” You half-smile at him, saying "Me too. I've made up my mind and I want to be friends with you. Just don't pick on my other friends… or my boyfriend.” He looks at you and says “Okay, I promise I won't be a prat anymore." “Thank you." 

**T/S to a week later**

You and Draco become best friends. He even completely cuts Crabbe and Goyle out of his life! Ron doesn't seem to like your friendship with him though. He confronts you in the hall. “[Y/N], why are you such good friends with Draco all of a sudden?” "Are you seriously doing this?” He huffs at you. "Listen, that Malfoy is trouble. I don't want him to hurt you.” You sigh. "It's been a week and he hasn't been a jerk yet. Come on, Ron, give the guy a chance!” “Fine, whatever," he says with a sigh. You have a feeling that he's going to break up with you…

Ron doesn't speak during class until you finally say “Ron, I'm sorry." He looks at you and says "What for this time?" “For befriending Draco. I know you're probably mad at me for it… I'm sorry.” His eyes dart around the room, searching for any sign of an adult. There's nobody there. “Shut up," he says before kissing you. Your eyes get really wide then you close them, letting a sense of euphoria fill you. Luckily, only a few, very trustworthy people see. He pulls away just as Professor McGonagall comes in. While you do your work, he keeps looking at you, failing to hide a small smile. You’re blushing really hard. You look at him and smirk, then look over your notes.

In the hall after class, you drop your stuff as your bag breaks. Both Draco and Ron rush to help you. “Guys, guys, I’ve got it,” you say, trying to get past them to get your things. “[Y/N], I don’t care if I’m late for class. Let me help you carry your stuff,” Ron says, picking up your books. “Well, I don’t care if I’m late either,” Draco says, glaring at Ron, whose face is red with rage. “She’s my girlfriend, Draco.” You look between the two guys, your face ashen. You take your stuff from them and walk to class, not saying another word. You don’t even look back at them. 

That day at lunch, you see your worst fear. Draco and Ron are fighting over you. You hear Ron yelling “It’s YOUR fault that she got mad! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WOULDN’T STOP TRYING TO GET IN THE WAY!” Draco returns this comment by saying “She’ll get over it, okay? You’re the one who stepped up in the first place.” You look at them, horrified, then run to the common room. You ignore them the rest of the day. Draco tries to talk to you before you go to bed. “Hey [Y/N], I’m sorry if you saw that fight earlier.” You push him out of the way then run to your dorm.

The next morning, Ron tries to talk to you. “Good morning," he says. You ignore him and go to your table, but you're not able to eat, so you just put your head down. You suffer through your classes. The worst one is Transfiguration, where Ron keeps trying to talk to you. “Leave me alone, Ron. I saw you and Draco fighting yesterday." You turn away and read your textbook. He finally speaks. "You… you weren't supposed to see that." You roll your eyes and disregard him for the rest of class. Draco sends a note to Ron from his seat. It reads “I will get her back, Weasley." You gasp and turn around to glare at Draco, who just smirks and shrugs his shoulders. 

Turning back to your work, you start thinking. 'He has changed… Do I want Draco?’

**Time Skip to two days later**

Draco and Ron won't stop fighting. The only one-on-one time you get with them is during classes, and you ignore them when you do see them. You don’t see Draco in the common room because you completely avoid going there when he’s there. You just go straight to the girl’s dormitory, where he can’t go. You want Ron… but you also want Draco, and you know you can’t have them both. You’re in the dorm when you realize that you have an essay from Snape to start. You sigh and take your stuff to the library, hoping that you won’t see anybody. The library is empty. ‘Finally, I can actually study without disruption,’ you think.

You’ve been in the library for about ten minutes when Draco comes in. He hurries over to you, but when he gets there he cautiously asks “[Y/N]? Can I sit here?” You sigh, saying “Sure. You can sit with me if you want.” He sits down across the table from you. “I’m sorry I fought with Ron.” “I think you mean ‘I’m sorry I’m fighting with Ron’,” you say as you roll your eyes. He goes red in the face, saying “Yeah, I guess that is what I mean. I’m sorry.” “Don’t mention it.” You flip open a book on asphodels to start researching. “Hey, can I look at that book as well?,” he asks suddenly. “Sure, I don’t care. Come sit over here.” Something in his eyes light up as he comes around the table to sit with you.

The two of you study for a while, talking as you do so. He’s making you laugh and blush a little. You go without talking for a moment so he makes a joke, causing you to double over with laughter. He catches you off guard by pecking you on the cheek. You look at him without any real emotion in your eyes. He stammers to apologize as his face flushes with embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry… I d-don’t know what got into me…Please, [Y/N], f-forgive me.” You draw in a deep breath. “I’m not mad. I-I need to go… think.” You get up and leave, making your way to the door somewhat blindly. Once you get through the door, you run into Ron, who was watching you. “[Y/N], care to explain what was going on?” You burst into tears, saying “Nothing was 'going on’, Ron, I promise! We were just studying! I can't stand you two fighting anymore!” He steps back and says “Pfft.. nothing was going on, you say? Then why did he kiss you?” “He wasn't thinking. He apologized for it, Ron. I'm sorry.” You wipe your eyes and look into his, saying “I promise nothing is going on. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I just can't handle all of this drama!” He doesn't say anything in reply, so you walk off. After a few seconds of walking you start running toward the common room. 

Tears streaming down your face, you manage to choke out the door password between sobs. 'Ah, thank God, the common room is empty,’ you think to yourself as you go through the door. You remember that you left your stuff with Draco and hope that he'll bring it back eventually. You go and sit on a chair in the corner and draw your knees up to your chest. You cry, gasping for breath every few seconds. After about ten minutes, you hear someone outside the door. 'Crap,’ you think to yourself, hastily wiping your eyes on your cloak. You look toward the door to see Draco coming in with your stuff. After an uncomfortable, drawn out awkward silence, Draco gives your stuff to you. You take it and push it under your chair. You put your legs back up and put your head down, letting your hair fall down. You hear the cushion of the chair next to you sink. You look up, making sure that it's only Draco and luckily it is. “Hey, so, thanks for bringing me my stuff,” you say quietly. “You're welcome, [Y/N].” “Did you know that Ron was watching us?” His eyes are filled with rage. “WHAT? HE WAS WATCHING US?!” “Yes,” you start, “and please calm down.” He takes a deep breath. “Okay, okay, I'm calm. But isn't that a bit… creepy? Who does that?” You shrug, saying “Apparently Ron.” “God, if you didn't love him so much I'd hurt him.” “Shut up about all of this fighting bullcrap!! I'm sick of it!!” You go to get up but Draco gets up first and stands in front of you, blocking you. “Stay. Please.” You give in, saying “Fine. But I don't want to hear about fighting anymore.” “Okay,” he says, sitting back down. 

“I’m moving to the couch. If you want to come sit with me you can,” you say to him after a few minutes. “Why are you moving seats?” “I’m cold and my cloak is failing to keep me warm. That couch is closer to the fire.” You stand up and make your way to the couch, taking your stuff with you. He follows and sits with you, leaving some space between you. He moves a little closer. You realize that he’s coming closer steadily but nonchalantly. When there’s barely two inches between you, he pretends to yawn, ending up with his arm behind you. “So… why were you crying earlier?” “Well, when I bumped into Ron in the hall, he was mad. He saw everything. The first thing he said was ‘care to explain what’s going on?’ And all of a sudden I burst into tears.” “Oh… Well, listen, everything is going to be okay. I promise,” he says, looking into your eyes.

It's been about five minutes and neither of you have moved. You’re stressed and wondering if you did the right thing by choosing not to kill yourself. You remember that the note to Draco is somewhere in your bag. ‘Oh, I can’t give it to him… He’d probably kill Ron,’ you think. “Draco.” “Yeah?” You take a deep breath. “This… all of this stress is… killing me.” “Stress about Ron and I fighting?” “Yes. I swear, it’s killing me! Between me and you, I honestly don’t know what to do.” Draco looks down at the floor, saying “well, is there anything you’d want me to do? I’d do anything…” He looks up and smiles, adding “That is, unless you tell me to stop loving you, which is not gonna happen.” Unable to stop your face from reddening, you just smile and roll your eyes. “You don’t need to do anything…” “Hey, I’ve tried to get Weasley to stop. He just won’t.” “I’ve tried to get him to stop too,” you say quietly. “I wonder if dating a Gryffindor is the right thing to do…” He looks like he’s about to say something but he just looks back down. “Yeah…” he finally says. 

“I think I’m going to… nevermind,” you say to him. “What’s the rest of that sentence, [Y/N]?” “Don’t worry about it.” “O-okay then,” he says. “Fine. Can I trust you with this?” “Of course. You can trust me with anything.” You sigh and say “I think I’m going to break up with Ron.” “Oh really?” “Yeah. I mean, he does hate me.” He sits there like he's frozen for a moment, so you poke him, thinking 'is he okay?’. He looks at you and says “[Y/N], what was that for?” You simply wink at him before bursting out laughing.

*T/S to the next morning*

Draco goes with you to break up with Ron. Before you start, he puts the full body-bind curse on him so he doesn't explode. “Ron, I'm sorry, but… we can't be together anymore. Not with you fighting with my best friend and everything. I guess Slytherins and Gryffindors just don't go together. I'm sorry. Goodbye, Ron,” you say, your eyes brimming with tears as you do so. You walk away with Draco until you get to a safe enough distance to free Ron, who punches the nearest wall.

In Transfiguration, Ron shows up a few minutes after you. Taking his seat, he glares at you. All of a sudden, he starts yelling in your face. “WHY? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT? I HATE YOU!” He pauses and points at Draco. “THIS IS HIS FAULT, ISN’T IT? OR IS IT JUST YOU BEING A BLOODY PRAT?!” You stand up, sobbing, and run out of class. Draco gets up and follows you. When he finally finds you in the library, he’s out of breath. You’re sitting in the floor against a bookshelf. Your face is red and your hair is in disarray. You can barely breathe. Draco silently sits next to you and puts his arm around you. “Go away,” you choke out, not daring to look up. “Can I do anything?” You look at Draco, your vision blurred. “Kill me.” “[Y/N]! Please don’t say you want to die,” he says solemnly. “I do though. You heard what he said.” “Yeah, I did. He’s being a jerk.” You run your fingers through your hair. He speaks again. “McGonagall took 20 points from Gryffindor. And Ron got detention.” You take a deep breath. “Serves him right. He shouldn’t have yelled at me like that… Or was he right in doing that?” "No. He is a bloody prat. Not you, he deserves everything he got. I'm sorry you had a git like him for a boyfriend..." He pauses and remembers that he was a git as well. “He actually meant to do it. I didn't.” “I know,” you say quietly. He looks at you and says “Promise you won't kill yourself, [Y/N]. I couldn't live without you.” You wipe your eyes, saying “Really?” “Yeah.” “Fine, I promise I won't.”

He gets up and offers his hand to help you up. You cautiously take it and he pulls you up and makes sure you're steady before letting go. You go back to class with him, not caring about the redness in your face. When you get to your seat, Ron scowls at you. You ignore him and do your work, trying desperately not to think about all the times you've kissed him. You feel like Draco is looking at you, so you look back in his direction, only to see his face flush as he looks down at the table.

**Time Skip to Christmas**

You're in the common room with Draco, who is getting ready to go home for the holidays. You've decided to stay at Hogwarts this year. You're sitting on the couch with him. “Hey, [Y/N], I have something for you,” he says, reaching into his bag. He pulls out a black box and hands it to you. You cautiously open it and there's a beautiful necklace. It's black and it has dark diamonds and a few emeralds in the middle. You lift it out of the box. “Oh, Draco, I… I don't know what to say… this is beautiful! Thank you,” you say as you put it on. You notice a piece of paper in the bottom of the box. You get it out and unfold it to see that it's not just any note.. it's a love note!

“[Y/N], I know this may be cheesy, but… I really do like you. Better yet, I love you. Considering what I did last year, I can understand if you don't return my feelings. But ever since then… I've been hoping to get you back. I couldn't stop my jealousy from showing when I saw that you got with Ron. I'm still sorry about what happened last year… I love you. Always, Draco.”

After reading the note, you look back up at Draco, whose pale face had turned bright pink. All of a sudden, you throw your arms around him and kiss him. You pull away, smiling sheepishly. He grabs you and kisses you again, then says “Yeah, sorry, I'm being a bit… you know, selfish? I can't help myself! I've been wanting to kiss you for a while now.” “Oh no, it's fine,” you say, blushing profusely. “Well, would you like to…. Date? And this time there's no Voldemort, so that's a plus.” “How's this for an answer?,” you ask, kissing him again. You pull away after that and just talk.

After a few minutes, he has to leave to catch the train home. Before he goes, you say “Send me some letters, okay?” “You know I will, [Y/N],” he says before going out the door.

**Time Skip to after the holidays**

When you first see Draco come into the common room, your face explodes in redness. You have all the letters he sent you in the necklace box. He comes to you and says “Hey! I missed you!” You pull him into a tight hug, pressing your face against his chest. “I missed you more,” you say quietly. After a few minutes, you let go of him so you can get something you made for him while he was gone. It's a picture you drew of both of you. “I know this is late, but here's this,” you say as you give it to him. “This is wonderful!” “Thank you.” “No, thank you for the picture.” You blush a little and say “Anytime. And thanks again for the necklace.” Instead of saying anything, he just hugs you again, kissing you. As you sit down, you say “So how was your holiday?” He sighs, saying “Eh. It was the same as usual. Boring.” “You should stay with me at Hogwarts next year!” “Yeah, if my parents let me.” “Yeah,” you say, looking at the ground. “So how's Christmas at Hogwarts?” “Lonely.” “Ah. I see.” “Why wouldn't your parents let you stay, anyway?” He pauses. “I've never asked yet.” “Oh, okay.” 

“You seem upset, [Y/N]... What's wrong?” “Nothing. I'm fine, Draco,” you say, still staring down at your shoes. “Well, you look upset.” “Meh… I'm okay, really.” He puts his arm around you, pulling you closer. “I love you,” you whisper. “I love you too, [Y/N],” he whispers in return.

It’s time to go to class. Draco walks you there and you’re hanging on his arm. Ron sees the two of you walking along the hall. You look at him and turn back to Draco, straightening your tie as you do so. You sweep your hair off of your shoulder as well. “Oh, are you trying to look good? You don't need to fix your hair or your tie to do that,” Draco teases. “Oh, shut up, Draco,” you say with a laugh. 

You get to class and, of course, you still have classes with Ron. ‘I wish the class change came with a student change,’ you think to yourself as the professor assigns your seat next to him. Rolling your eyes, you take a seat and get out your quill. “Hi,” Ron says quietly. You sigh and ignore him. “I said hi,” he says, sounding mad. “Hi.” “Better. How are you?” “Good, I guess. You?” “I’m… fine.” “I see,” you say quietly, then add “Why are you trying to talk to me? I thought you said you hate me!” He sighs, saying “I don’t hate you, [Y/N], I was just mad. Actually, I’m still mad.” “Whatever, Ron.” The professor starts to teach and you take notes. “Listen, [Y/N],” Ron starts but you cut him off by saying “Leave me alone.”

After that class, you meet Draco in the hall. “So, how was class?” “Awful. Apparently Weasley doesn't know how to leave people alone.” “Oh,” he says, hugging you. After you and Draco separate to go to your next class, you notice Ron watching you in the hall. You glare at him, but jump when you see he's coming closer and you walk faster. But… it's too late. He catches up to you and grabs you by your tie, forcing you to come close to him. “RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY! GET OFF ME!!” “No,” he says calmly, quietly. "WHY, you bastard, HELP!" You scream, but the mob of students that was there moments before has disappeared in the rush to get to Hogsmeade.. Ron smirks, but his eyes have a pain behind them. "It's no use, there's no one here." "I beg to differ, Weasley." Snape's cool voice says from the shadows. He emerges, sweeping his cloak towards them. "Release her, Ronald." He says quietly. Ron let's go of you, and you run behind Snape. You despise him, but he is your sole protector right now. "Fifty points from Gryffindor." He says quietly. "WHAT?? FIFTY?!" Ron explodes, Snape chuckles, but it's cold and dark. "A hundred then?" The hall was so quiet you could hear the jewels clinking away in the Great Hall. Ron snarls and starts to walk away, but Snape says one more thing. “Oh, and Weasley, no Hogsmeade next trip and certainly not now...and three weeks of detention.” Ron’s face goes as red as his hair, and he stalks off. Snape turns to you and whispers. “I know you don’t like me, despite the fact you’re a Slytherin and in my House, but if you need anything, especially when it comes to Mr. Weasley, I’m here.” You look at him, barely disguising your disgust. “Uhm...yea...thank you Professor, but I think I just need some time. You know?” His face remains passive, but his black eyes get darker. “Of course Ms. [Y/L/N], I understand,” he leans in closer, whispering into your ear,” completely.” Then he’s gone with a whoosh of his cloak. You stand there, then realize you were gonna meet Draco in the library, and run for it. As soon as you get there, you see Draco talking to the librarian, ordering a book. For a moment, you just look at him. Then he turns and sees you and runs for you,”[Y/N]! Where were you?!” “I-I was harassed by Weasley again….and Snape defended me...but Draco I think he’s a pedophile!” Draco cringes,” Yeaaaaaa I’m positive, when I had to live with him all these students would come and visit for ‘tutoring’ but he would stare at them while they practiced basic spells. They were all just Squibs.” He sneers, it’s the first time you’ve seen the Draco Malfoy everyone sees, the stuck up brat that hates everyone. You cringe hard,” Yea that sounds like him. Should I be concerned?” “If you keep ignoring him, maybe. God I’ve been trying to get McGonagall to sack him for years, but she’s stuck on him being alright since the war…” he’s deep in thought. He sighs,” I got nothing. Sorry [Y/N]…” “it’s okay Draco. You’ve been trying. Maybe we’ll sign a petition?” You laugh, and he laughs. Draco looks at you like you’re the greatest thing to ever happen to him. He smiles wide and takes you back to the common room, opening the book he grabbed on fantastic beasts. “Hey wanna read this with me?” He asks. “Sure!” You reply and snuggle up next to him, he reads aloud and his soothing tone puts you to sleep. He tucks you in and goes off to bed.

All of a sudden, you feel someone’s hand on your shoulder, and you look up to see Snape’s pale face. You flinch and sit up. “If you would like to sleep, you should go to your dormitory,” he says with a tone you’ve never heard out of him. It’s kind of creepy in a way, so you gently push past him and run to your bed. ‘God, he’s creeping me out… was I right about him being a little… off?,’ you think to yourself as you burrow under your covers. You fall asleep after thinking on the subject a little more.

**The Next Morning**

You quickly get dressed and rush into the Great Hall and sit next to Draco, who was saving a seat for you. He notices how you seem nervous, and you’re rushing around. “[Y/N]? You okay?” “Uhhh yeah, I’m fine, uh, you?” He sighs and says “You suck at lying, what’s the matter?” “Fine. Snape is kind of creeping me out.,” you say quietly,” he woke me up last night and it just…” you shiver and Draco pulls you closer. ”I'm sorry [Y/N]... here, have some biscuits.” He hands you some and you nibble on one.

You notice Snape's cold black eyes sweeping the room, but flinch when his eyes rest on you. You shift uncomfortably in your seat and look at Draco. “D-Do you think I could just be paranoid? O-Or…” “[Y/N]. Listen. That dude IS a creep. So, no, you're not just paranoid. You have every right to be nervous about all of it,” Draco interrupts you. You simply sigh and put your elbow on the table and use your hand to support your chin.

You see Ron at the Gryffindor table sulking. After watching his (quite hilarious) hand gestures, you look down at the table. You slowly finish eating then get up suddenly. “Hey, I'm going to the library,” you say to Draco before rushing out of the Great Hall.

In the library, you sit at a table and grab a random book from the shelf behind you to pretend like you're doing something. The library is completely silent. You flinch when you hear someone's footsteps, but you don't look up. ‘It's probably nobody important,’ you think to yourself. 

“[Y/N],” Ron says as he approaches you. “Ronald.” He gets up in your face and says “You're a bitch.” “You’re worse, Weasley,” You say with a slightly shaky voice. “Oh, what's this? Do I hear a quiver in your voice?”


End file.
